New ‘The Walking Dead’ Episode Gets 85 Minute Runtime

The Walking Dead has been crazy lately. Not that it was ever a slow-burning type of show, but recent events have certainly kicked the series into hyper-drive. The astronomical ratings for the show have also been maintained, and this zombie world shows no signs of slowing down. As a matter of fact, why not give us even more?

Well, that is apparently exactly what AMC is doing. The fourth episode of the ongoing seventh season of The Walking Dead has been revealed recently to be considerably longer than the usual running time an episode airs for. Instead of filling it’s usual hour-long time slot, the episode titled “Service” will run for about 85 minutes. That’s an extra 25 minutes! Which is a lot.

The show airs on November 13, so be prepared to sit around a little longer than usual. A synopsis for the show is short but to the point:

The remaining members of the group try to keep it together in Alexandria; they receive a sobering visit.

Season 7 synopsis:

Up until this point, our characters have lived through conflicts… Disease, hunger, scores of the undead, tragedy, betrayal, and unthinkable loss. Through this, they’ve become formidable. Powerful. Unstoppable.

To start season seven, that power is taken away. They had found safety and stability. They had created a home. They thought the world was theirs. They thought they knew the world. They were wrong.

The first half of season seven sees our group fractured, broken, bereaved, and picking up the pieces while living under the thumb of oppression. Negan will have successfully brought the survivors under his control, brutally convincing them to live under his rules with a deadly and horrific example of what happens if they don’t.

Other characters are unaware of what’s happened, but have become separated from the group either by incident or choice – they will learn that they can’t escape this new turn of their world, either. This half-season is about these characters starting over.

The overall theme of the season is beginning again. The world isn’t what they thought it was. It’s bigger and it’s even more dangerous.